When he moves across the hall into San Mateo County Sheriff Don Horsley’s office in a few weeks, Greg Munks won’t be shy about making some changes.

Those old couches? Gone. That novelty Tommy gun lamp? Gone, too.

What the sheriff-elect says won’t do after he’s sworn in Jan. 8 is start from scratch.

Undersheriff since 1993, Munks has worked for years alongside Horsley to address overcrowded jails and to curb gang violence – and he hopes to build on that past work rather than begin anew.

“A lot of what we’ve done over the 13 1/2 years I’ve had a hand in,” Munks, 52, said. “There will be change, but it’s not like someone coming in from the outside.”

Horsley offered his support.

“He’s going to do a fabulous job,” Horsley said, “and keep moving the sheriff’s office forward to be the premier law enforcement agency that I think it is.”

Munks will head a department with a $125 million budget and about 630 employees. Among the major problems the county faces are the strained jail system, which has been whittled down over the past 15 years to one primary men’s detention center.

Another hot topic is gang activity. And although he says an increased emphasis on prevention and enforcement this year has helped keep last year’s violence from flaring up again, more work remains.

Munks said the sheriff’s position is unique because it isn’t filled by city officials – like that of local police chiefs – giving the sheriff more leeway to speak out on controversial issues.

“I take that responsibility seriously and I will speak out on matters I feel strongly about,” he said.

Born and raised in Palo Alto, Munks attended Palo Alto High School before getting a business degree at Menlo College. He then decided to pursue a career in law enforcement, joining the sheriff’s department in 1977.

In 1981, he moved to the Palo Alto Police Department, where he worked his way up from a beat officer to lieutenant.

As a cop in his hometown, Munks found it satisfying to help people “at their most critical time, when they’re in danger or in crisis.”

He recalls one memorable pursuit, when he was running after a suspect in a home burglary. Munks followed the suspect into some bushes and they both promptly fell off an embankment, leaving them both banged up. But the important thing, he said, is that he caught the guy.

Munks stayed in Palo Alto until Horsley – Munks’ supervisor during his first stint at the sheriff’s department – got the top job in 1993 and asked him to return.

“You just have kind of a soft spot for the department where you start your career,” Munks said.

Replacing Munks as undersheriff will be Carlos Bolanos, Redwood City’s police chief, who worked with Munks in Palo Alto. Bolanos said their friendship will be an asset on the job.

“We’ve backed each other up in many different situations,” Bolanos said. “We know each other as well as two guys can know each other.”